Officials seek witnesses to ascertain exact cause
Local and state fire investigators believe the fire that consumed a vacant warehouse this month started with some form of human activity, and officials are asking for the public’s help identifying the person or persons involved, said Chelsea Fire Chief John Quatieri and State Fire Marshal Jon Davine.
Firefighters battle the blaze at the Forbes site on November 18.
The November 18 fire at 1 Forbes St. in Chelsea went to nine alarms and drew firefighters from about two dozen departments across the region – but no injuries to firefighters or civilians were reported.
“I want to thank our Chelsea firefighters and mutual aid partners for their remarkable work protecting the community from this massive fire,” said Chief Quatieri. “I also want to recognize the proactive work that helped us achieve this result with limited access to water. Weekly inspections at the site and aggressive pre-planning for a fire of this nature were instrumental in containing it.”
Officials said there had been no power to the building in years and that the structure was known as a location where juveniles, people who are homeless, and others would sometimes congregate.
“The exact cause of the fire remains under investigation, but the evidence so far suggests that one or more people were present when the fire broke out,” said State Fire Marshal Davine. “We’re extremely fortunate that no one was hurt – or worse – by the fire or structural collapse.”
Chief Quatieri and State Fire Marshal Davine asked anyone with information on the cause of the fire or those involved to call the Arson Watch Reward Program’s hotline at 1-800-682-9229. The Arson Watch Reward Program is coordinated by the Massachusetts Property Insurance Underwriting association and offers rewards of up to $5,000 for information that detects or prevents arson crimes.
“You can remain anonymous if you prefer,” said State Fire Marshal Davine.
The fire was first reported just after 12:30 am on November 18 by callers from as far away as Revere with the response escalating rapidly. Eight alarms were struck within 20 minutes, bringing mutual aid from Revere, Everett, Boston, Medford, Somerville, Winthrop, Lynn, Malden, Saugus, Melrose, Cambridge, Wakefield, Brookline, Belmont, Stoneham, Waltham, Woburn, Newton, Reading, Arlington, Lexington, Massport, Watertown, and Quincy.
The Department of Fire Services sent a Rehab unit to support firefighter health and safety and an Incident Support Unit to provide communications, conferencing, and mapping resources at the scene. The Boston Sparks Association and Salvation Army Disaster Services responded to assist personnel with food, drinks, and other on-scene needs.
Nearby schools were closed and the Commuter rail was temporarily halted. Firefighters remained on scene through the next day, tackling hot spots and ensuring the blaze was fully extinguished.
The fire is being investigated by the Chelsea Fire Department and the State Police Fire Investigation Unit assigned to the State Fire Marshal’s office with assistance from the Chelsea Police Department.